Home of the Week: Yin Yurt inspires tranquility

The trees, and at night, the stars can be seen through a skylight in the center of the Yin Yurt, an AirBnB rental on ...more

The trees, and at night, the stars can be seen through a skylight in the center of the Yin Yurt, an AirBnB rental on Ricardo Fernandez's property in Clyde. The entire structure is circular and wood framed.

If you have a yen for a tranquil, relaxing vacation spot in the mountains of Western North Carolina, you need look no further than Wild Cat Ridge Farm’s Yin Yurt in Haywood County.

Built this year and recently put out for rent through Airbnb by veteran chef Ricardo Fernandez and his wife, Suzanne, the yurt sits along the Pigeon River in Clyde and offers a Zen-like experience in vacationing at 3,500 feet above sea level.

The yurt is the latest in luxury vacationing or glamping and is the first of its kind in the area, Ricardo said.

“The concept is very unique. It has an extremely good energy feeling because it is a round open space. It is the perfect Zen if you look at the oriental view,” he said.

Story continues below...

Do you have a home to nominate as a Home of the Week? Whether a basic condo, a converted garage or a luxurious mansion, the Citizen Times is happy to share with our readers. Scroll to the bottom of this story for details on how to nominate a home.

The couple investigated and decided to build a yurt on 30 acres of mountain property they purchased after relocating to Western North Carolina.

The talented chef who moved to the states from Buenos Aires in 1975 said jokingly that he came to America “to play John Wayne.” Suzanne was originally from Boston. Together they built a reputation as restaurant owners in Waynesville, where they operated a farm to table restaurant for 16 years.

Cooking, the chef said, grew out of his family roots that included a dad from Spain and mother from Amalfi, Italy. While living in Boca Raton, Florida, the couple began an international import/export business with foods and wine. They found Waynesville when a friend opened a bed and breakfast and they moved to do the cooking in exchange for a place to live.

That move eventually led them to open the Lomo Grill, a popular restaurant they sold four years ago to pursue other ventures on the land they had purchased in the Panther Creek area of Crabtree Township. That is where they found a 1920s tobacco barn that was falling apart and began a yearlong renovation tearing down much of the structure but saving the wormy-chestnut rafters and beams.

The renovated barn was originally to be a guesthouse, and the couple intended to build a much larger home on their “little piece of heaven created by God.” What has transpired, however, is they have remained in their 1,200 square feet of space and have decided to build two yurts that will allow them to share the closeness of nature they enjoy with others.

The Yin Yurt, an AirBnB rental on Ricardo Fernandez's property in Clyde, overlooks the Pigeon River ...more

The Yin Yurt, an AirBnB rental on Ricardo Fernandez's property in Clyde, overlooks the Pigeon River providing guests with the serene sounds of the flowing river all day and night. "It has a good feeling there," Fernandez said. "Between the wood and the light and the height and the wind and the sound of the river."

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

The Yin Yurt sits on a piece of their property at a higher elevation and overlooks the Pigeon River. It has a view of the surrounding mountains as well as gardens where the couple grows peonies that draw customers from everywhere during the April/May blooming season. The Yin Yurt was completed earlier this year, and ground has been broken for construction of the Yang Yurt.

All electric is 750 feet underground, which was difficult, due to solid rock. They brought in a douser from Asheville to find water for the well.

“I used a famous douser and a girl that specializes in water energy. So the two were walking into the woods and, of course, they found water,” Ricardo said. “That was one more thing that was an assurance that we were doing what we were supposed to do.”

The circular structure took eight months to complete. It has wooden rafters that frame it with three layers of fabric — an outside canvas, insulation like NASA uses and an inside fabric. Wire laces through the beams to help brace the yurt for wind and snow. The structure is topped with a glass cupola that allows a nighttime view of the sky.

The indoor height of the yurt provides a very open feeling. “You don’t feel compressed,” Ricardo said.

A pull-out queen bed adds extra sleeping space to the living room area of the Yin Yurt, an AirBnB ...more

A pull-out queen bed adds extra sleeping space to the living room area of the Yin Yurt, an AirBnB rental on Ricardo Fernandez's property in Clyde.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

The yurt, Ricardo said, is perfect for four people. In the open living area, you find a couch with a queen size, pullout bed, a gas fireplace in the wall that gives out heat or just provides a warm and romantic feel for sipping wine and relaxing. A large open bedroom houses a king-size bed with pocket doors separating the two rooms and bathroom.

The yurt has heat, air conditioning, a humidifier and laminate flooring. A full-size kitchen is complete with everything visitors may need for their visit. Beautiful solid wood furniture adds elegance, as do slabs of poplar and walnut selected for counter tops.

“One of the crazy things we went through was we went to Asheville with Josh who specializes in finishing wood and we went to two different sawmills. We looked for nice natural finishes with not that much gloss. I just felt so good about using the wood in this form,” Ricardo said. “It gave me such an appreciation of wood starting from zero.”

A full kitchen is one of the features of the Yin Yurt, an AirBnB rental on Ricardo Fernandez's ...more

A full kitchen is one of the features of the Yin Yurt, an AirBnB rental on Ricardo Fernandez's property in Clyde. It took 8 months for Fernandez to construct the yurt, which he finished in April.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

On two sides of the yurt is a large deck that offers visitors a spectacular outdoor living area for spending quality time together, meditating or just observing the wildlife that frequently includes soaring eagles that nest in nearby trees. The water flow in the river echoes off the sides of the yurt, offering a relaxing sound, and there is a fire pit for late-night marshmallow roasting.

“We went a little overboard on the deck, but we wanted to offer an outdoor living space,” he said. “You see no neighbors here. You could not get more private.”

Via a short hike to the river, you find an island they own where natural slate stepping-stones allow you to walk over and sit in a natural infinity pool. On that riverbank is a large oak tree called the “Trading Oak,” and local lore has it that native Indians met settlers there to trade goods.

A butterfly perches on a zinnia in a patch at the Wildcat Ridge Farm, home of the Yin Yurt, an ...more

A butterfly perches on a zinnia in a patch at the Wildcat Ridge Farm, home of the Yin Yurt, an AirBnB rental on Ricardo Fernandez's property in Clyde. Fernandez grows peonies and figs on the property.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

A real plus to staying at the yurt is access to the Fernandez gardens and to hosts who love to share their love of food and wine so much they have developed tours to the wine country of Mendoza and Patagonia San Carlos de Bariloche.

Contact freelance writer Angela Nicholas at aknicholas28@gmail.com.

LEARN MORE

The Yin Yurt at Wildcat Ridge Farm is at 3553 Panther Creek Road, Clyde, with Interior design by Sandra Jameson of High Country Furniture. To book a stay, visit Airbnb (look for "Romantic Luxury new Riverfront Yurt near Asheville"), Glamping Hub or VRBO. To learn more, call 828-627-6751 or 828-246-7542.

NOMINATE A HOME

To nominate your house or that of a friend for Home of the Week, contact Bruce Steele at bsteele@citizen-times.com. Include your telephone number and a telephone number for the homeowner, if not you.